Australian Film Academy announce winners at fifth AACTA International Awards

BIG Aussie and international names in film threw on their black tie ensembles for the second night in a row as they joined their Australian peers in Hollywood to honour big-screen excellence from the last year at the fifth AACTA International Awards.

While there was no James Packer and fiance Mariah Carey on this red carpet — the pair had made their loved-up appearance last night at the G’Day LA gala in Hollywood — a sleek looking team of filmic folk did make their way to the ruby rug.

Rachel Griffiths and Daniel MacPherson opened the show, which will broadcast in Australia on Foxtel tomorrow night, while Abbie Cornish, Miranda Otto, Angus Sampson, Jonathan LaPaglia, Radha Mitchell, Luke Bracey, Anna Torv and Phillip Noyce were among those who presented at event, held at the historic Avalon Hollywood.

George Miller’s dystopian Road War Mad Max: Fury Road stepped up its Oscars campaign, taking home two of the international gongs from the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts — best film and best direction. Competition was strong, with The Big Short and Carol also competing in both categories, alongside last year’s best film and best direction recipient, Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman), who was this year nominated for The Revenant.

These wins follow an outstanding run for Mad Max: Fury Road at AACTA’s domestic Awards in Sydney last month, where the film received a total of eight awards, including best film and best direction.

Set in sumptuous 1950s New York, Carol also received two AACTA International awards tonight, with Rooney Mara awarded for best supporting actor, and Cate Blanchett awarded for best lead actor; performances which see both nominated for tomorrow night’s Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards, and next month’s BAFTAs and Oscars.

This marks Blanchett’s seventh AFI or AACTA award over the past 19 years, including an AACTA International award for her performance in Blue Jasmine.

Bridge of Spies, The Revenant and Spotlight received one award each tonight, seeing a total of five films awarded across seven categories — best film, best direction, best screenplay, best lead actor, best lead actor, best supporting actor and best supporting actor.

Mad Max: Fury Road continued it’s Oscars run with two awards at the AACTA Internationals.Source:Supplied

Competition in the best lead actor category was fierce, with Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant) taking home the award over Matt Damon (The Martian), past AACTA International award nominees Steve Carell (The Big Short) and Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl), and past winner Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs).

The win marks Leonardo DiCaprio’s second award from the Australian Academy, following a best lead Actor Award for The Great Gatsby in 2014, and adds to an outstanding awards season for the powerhouse performer, including a Golden Globe award, as well as Oscar, BAFTA and SAG award nominations.

The AACTA International award for best supporting actor went to Mark Rylance for his portrayal of Soviet spy Rudolf Abel in Steven Spielberg’s Cold War thriller Bridge of Spies; a performance which also sees Rylance nominated for an Oscar, BAFTA and SAG Award.

Spotlight, the true story of The Boston Globe’s role in uncovering the massive scandal of child abuse and cover up by the Catholic Church, won the award for best screenplay, following strong competition from Carol, Ex Machina, The Martian and Steve Jobs.

AACTA and Australian Film Institute CEO, Damian Trewhella, said this, the fifth year of the awards, had again seen a dynamic mix of international and Australian achievement honoured, celebrating some of the world’s biggest names in film, behind and in front of the camera.

“This year marks the first time we’ve seen an Australian film, Mad Max: Fury Road, win at our domestic awards in Sydney and then again at our international awards in LA, and we’re delighted to see our U.S. and British counterparts also recognise this excellence with Oscar and BAFTA nominations,” he said.

“Over the past five years we’ve seen AACTA International award winners go on to win 16 BAFTAs and 14 Oscars, and we look forward with great anticipation to seeing if this trend again continues this year. We congratulate all winners, and wish them every success as we head towards the pointy end of this competitive awards season.”

Guests at the awards enjoyed Piper-Heidsieck’s red label Cuvée Brut to celebrate the evening’s winners and partied on at the W Hotel as the awards season goes into total overdrive.

Tomorrow night the SAG awards will continue the film awards season.

The AACTA awards are supported by the New South Wales Government, through its tourism and major events agency, Destination New South Wales.